Rainmaker Entertainment
Background Rainmaker Entertainment is a Canadian computer animation and design company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Mainframe Vancouver) and Los Angeles, California, USA (Mainframe USA), which was formerly known as Mainframe Entertainment prior to January 31, 2007. It produces CGI-aniamted TV series and movies. They were best known for producing the first ever half-hour CGI animated series, ReBoot, as well as the acclaimed Beast Wars Transformers. In recent years, they were also known for producing most of the Barbie film series for Mattel. On September 16, 2003, Digital Program Solutions (DPS), a division of IDT Media acquired a stake in Mainframe Entertainment. It was completed on December 2, 2003. On August 31, 2006, IDT Corp. sold IDT Entertainment to Liberty Media and it was renamed to Starz Media. On July 31, 2006, RNK Capital Limited Partnership, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rainmaker Income Fund acquired 62% of Mainframe from Starz with Rainmaker acquiring 38%. On August 29, 2006, RNK and Rainmaker Income Fund announced a merger, with RNK acquiring 38% of Mainframe, and by January 31, 2007 they had changed to their current name. Mainframe Entertainment didn't use a logo until 1996. Mainframe Entertainment 1st Logo (September 16, 1996-March 13, 1998) Nicknames: "The Cursive 'M'" Logo: On a black background, with a yellow ball of light at the top-right corner, we see a brown board and a silver plate (which was faced at the right) turns clockwise to face us. When it begins to turn, the light ball swoops down from the top-right corner, carving the board with a cursive black "M", while the letters "M", "A", "I", "N", "F", "R", "A", "M", and "E" in a bold silver font, softly lands on the brown board, followed by the small words "ENTERTAINMENT INC." also in a bold silver font, slowly zooms in from the board. It says, "MAINFRAME ENTERTAINMENT INC.", with "MAIN" and "FRAME" forming a 90 degree angle right with each other, and "ENTERTAINMENT INC." below it. There is also a silver copyright symbol next to it. The light ball swoops to the right, causing the logo to shine slowly. Variant: Sometimes, there is a still version. FX/SFX: CGI-Animation. Music/Sounds: An intense synth percussion tune composed by Robert "Bob" Buckley, which is accompanied by whooshes. Music/Sounds Variants: * On Fox Kids split-screen airings of Beast Wars: Transformers, the end of the show's theme song plays over this, the Alliance (Short version), and the Claster Television Incorporated logos. * Sometimes, a different version of the theme is used. Availability: Rare. Seen on the first two seasons of Beast Wars and season 3 of Reboot. Scare Factor: Low. The music may scare a few. Overall, it's a cool logo, and a favorite of many. 2nd Logo (September 16, 1998-May 9, 2006) Logo: On a black background, we see the words "MAINFRAME ENTERTAINMENT". Bylines: * 2003-06: "An IDT Entertainment Company" * 1998-2003, 2006: Bylineless. This was also used under the Starz Media era for a short time. * Sometimes, there is no text at all. * Sometimes, the website address (www.mainframe.com) is seen below the text. Variants: * Beginning with season 3 of Beast Wars Transformers, it takes place on a moving space background. * On Scary Godmother, ghosts swipe in to form the title of the film. * An opening variant exists where the words "A MAINFRAME ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTION" are seen in the background. This variant appears at the beginning of Mainframe's movies. * A longer version also exists. We start off with a white screen fading in, which quickly fades to the logo, with a translucent shadow of the name zooming out. * A medium-length variant also exists where we start off with the name's shadow zooming out as the white screen fade to the logo. FX/SFX: The background panning. Music/Sounds: None or the opening/closing theme. Availability: The normal logo is seen on Season 2 episodes of Beast Wars Transformers. The space background version is seen on the two Scary Godmother TV movies, Shadow Raiders, Weird-Oh's, season 4 of ReBoot, season 2 of Max Steel, Action Man, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, Spy Kids: Mission Critical, Reboot: The Guardian Code, Hot Wheels World Race, the final season of Beast Wars and all episodes of Beast Machines. Scary Factor: None. Rainmaker Entertainment 1st Logo (2007-) (March 13, 2007-) Nicknames: "Swirly", "Swirly Hand" Logo: On a black background, a shining gold swirl is drawn by itself before zooming out. As it does, a border is formed in the same color, revealing it to be an outline of a hand. Then a huge flash occurs, causing the swirl to change into teal and the hand into white, while also creating a background at the bottom of the hand in the same color as the swirl. "RAinmAkER" appears below in the hand's color. After the flash ceases, the slogan "WHERE WORLDS ARE CREATED" (In a swirl's color, and in a length of "RAinmAkER") flashes in. Variants: * There's the early version of the logo seen in-credit. * Sometimes, it is in-credit. Seen on the late 2007-2012 Barbie movies. * Sometimes, the logo is still, with or without the slogan. This was also seen at the ending of the over-the-last-scene credits of the second Nickelodeon airing of Barbie as the Island Princess (2007), although this doesn't appear at the end credits. FX/SFX: The swirl and hand forming, the zooming out, the full logo flashing in, and the byline appearing. Music/Sounds: A synth the swirl make when being formed, a flute piece accompanied with sticks, a quiet flash, and a drum piece when the byline appears. The variants has the closing theme playing over. Availability: The normal version is seen on post-2007 DVD releases from Rainmaker, such as ReBoot. Scare Factor: Low to medium. 2nd Logo (February 15th, 2013-) Nickname: "Ting" Logo: In the space background, there is a twinkling star, the star starts to fly, turning out that the star is actually Ting (the main mascot of the company), who projects the glowing logo from his body, he then pops out behind the logo, waves and flies away to the left. Variants: * Sometimes, the logo is still. * One time, the logo is shortened beginning when Ting flies away. * One time, the beginning of the logo is shown. * In 3D, the logo zooms forward. Oddly, this variation is also shown at the end of Barbie: Spy Squad (2016). * On the teaser trailer for Ratchet & Clank, the logo animates as normal, but fades out to make room for the Blockade Entertainment logo, animated in the same background. ** However, in the actual feature, in the American release, the background fades to black after the logo fades out and fades in again for the Blockade logo. International prints has the Blockade logo first before cutting to this logo. FX/SFX: Really nice CGI animation done in-house. Music/Sounds: The sounds represent the actions. Music/Sounds Variants: *On Escape from Planet Earth, the opening theme is playing over, the twinkle sound is absent and the flying sounds is different. *On international prints of Ratchet & Clank, the opening theme plays over with the sounds intact. However, the American release has the sounds, but not the opening theme. Availability: Current. First debuted at the beginning of Escape from Planet Earth. Scare Factor: None. Category:Family and Animation Category:Animation Category:Animation studio Category:3D Animation Category:Canada Category:Canadian animation studios